Hot Topics:

Turning the silver screen a bit more silver

By Randy Myers, Mercury News

Updated:
02/14/2014 10:07:28 AM EST

Robert Redford stars in J.C. Chandor's "All is Lost.' (Daniel Daza)

Let's not split hairs, gray or otherwise.

Things were looking up for audiences age 50-plus in 2013. A decent number of high-profile movies starring people of “a certain age” were released in theaters nationwide. Unfortunately, that didn't mean all of what came out was high quality.

On the dramatic side, 77-year-old Robert Redford masterfully played a sailor confronting his mortality in the underseen “All Is Lost,” while on a sillier side of the aisle, Michael Douglas, Kevin Kline, Morgan Freeman and Robert De Niro wolf-packed their way to a bachelor party in “Last Vegas.”

There were other, ahem, mature offerings, not always showing veteran stars at their best.

De Niro and Sylvester Stallone duked it out in the big box-office dud “Grudge Match.”

“Stand Up Guys” Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin were anything but after critics tore the film down. And “Red 2”³ reunited an A-team of actors playing senior spies, but deposited them in a C-grade sequel.

The cheeky yet tender “Nebraska,” a dramedy about old age and family dysfunction in the Midwest, scored a best picture nod, and two of its most mature characters, played by the 77-year-old Bruce Dern and 84-year-old June Squibb, captured nominations; he for best actor, she for best supporting actress.
Steve Coogan, right, with Judi Dench in “Philomena.” (Alex Bailey/Weinstein)
While the films generated accolades and plenty of buzz, none of them was a blockbuster.

The good news, however, is that many other gems are waiting to be mined for the 50-plus audience, including the recent Bay Area release of “Gloria.” (Better see that one fast before it runs off from theaters.)

To see

“The Great Beauty”: Italy's top pick for best foreign language film is an intensely beautiful, near operatic experience. Influenced by Italian film director Federico Fellini, the epic-sized tale about a 65-year-old journalist who re-evaluates his la dolce vita is filled with heady symbolism and visuals that literally take your breath away and leave you scratching your head. Haunting and powerful. (Still in select theaters.)

“Love Is All You Need”: Romance isn't just for the younger set, as the movie proves quite convincingly. Two middle-aged people — the father of the groom-to-be and the mother of the bride-to-be — fall for each other amid all sorts of family malarkey in Italy. Enchanting performances by Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm. (On DVD.)

“This Is Martin Bonner”: Subtle and silently powerful, this under-the-radar indie drama about a man in his late 50s striking up an alliance with a recently released prisoner is quite a discovery. Paul Eenhoorn hits the exact notes as the complex Martin, a man dealing with his own past while helping inmates transition out of a Reno prison. (Available on Netflix streaming.)

“Gloria” Chile's official entry for this year's best foreign-language film didn't make the cut, but a strong case could be made that it should have been on the list. The character-driven study captures the loneliness and the repressed sexuality its restless 58-year-old single female character experiences. Paulina García is a revelation as Gloria, a divorcee who frequents nightclubs to try to get her groove on. She does just that when she meets a man (Sergio Hernández) and the two start a complicated relationship. Director Sebastián Leilo doesn't shy away from the sex nor the problems of either character. It's one terrific film. (Just released in the Bay Area.)

“Hannah Arendt”: Barbara Sukowa's layered portrayal of real-life philosopher/writer Hannah Arendt, best known for her New Yorker coverage of the Adolf Eichmann trial, is the reason to see director Margarethe von Trotta's intelligent, restrained film bio. It's slow, but there are a host of other rewards, including von Trotta's use of footage from the court proceedings and Janet McTeer's radiant performance in a small role as popular novelist Mary McCarthy (“The Group”). Thought-provoking and literate. (Available on DVD.)